Study discovers anticoagulant drugs are being prescribed against safety advice

A study by researchers at the University of Birmingham has shown that GPs are prescribing anticoagulants to patients with an irregular heartbeat against official safety advice.

The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research.

Best practice guidelines recommend anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin are prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat.

First author Dr Nicola Adderley said: “These patients are at high risk of stroke and anticoagulant drugs greatly reduce the stroke risk as they make blood less likely to clot.

“However, because they reduce blood clotting, patients taking anticoagulant drugs are at risk of bleeding complications. Therefore, safety advice is to avoid anticoagulants in patients who have certain conditions such as a bleeding peptic ulcer, diabetic eye disease or a previous stroke caused by a bleed.”

The researchers reviewed patient records from 645 general practices over a 12-year period between 2004 and 2015. They found that AF patients with conditions making them a safety risk and those without safety risks were almost equally likely to be prescribed anticoagulants. The situation did not change over time.

Notes to Editors

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.

Adderley et al. (2017). ‘The role of contraindications in prescribing anticoagulants to patients with atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional analysis of primary care data in the UK’. British Journal of General Practice. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp17X691685